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Bafokeng Clan — History & Meaning
Sotho clan · Sesotho
Totem phoka (dew); in some traditions also associated with mmutla (hare/rabbit) or morara (wild vine)
History & origin
The Bafokeng ("people of the dew") are an old Sotho-Tswana clan, frequently cited in oral tradition as among the earliest Sesotho-speakers and among the first to move into the highveld and Caledon region. A senior surviving polity is the Royal Bafokeng Nation centred on Phokeng near Rustenburg in North West Province, whose later mineral-rich land (platinum) made it prominent. Other Bafokeng groups settled widely through the Free State and Lesotho. Their totem is the dew (phoka), unusual in not being an animal.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Mofokeng, Fokeng, Mokwena (in some Bafokeng lines), Diale, Mabe.
We publish the full diboko (clan praises) only once we can verify them against documented tradition — for this clan they are still being confirmed. If you can share an authoritative version, corrections are warmly welcomed.